


Winter's Magic

by justabrain



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Holodecks/Holosuites, Ice Skating, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Snow, Valentine's Day, Winter, i mean not specifically but i wrote it because of valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 20:30:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17794232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justabrain/pseuds/justabrain
Summary: Data takes Geordi on their first date: ice skating on the holodeck. One of them can skate -- the other not so much.





	Winter's Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I probably should have been doing homework instead of working on this all evening but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Enjoy!

Geordi’s door chimed. With a slow exhalation, he smoothed the plain shirt and jacket that he had chosen for the occasion — he and Data had agreed no uniforms. He nodded sharply to his reflection, then approached the door, which hissed open at Geordi’s touch. Data was standing on the other side, one hand behind his back, and wearing decidedly nicer clothing than he was. Geordi felt his face grow warm.

“Oh, I— I should change,” he said, feeling suddenly underdressed.

“No!” Data’s voice was decisive, and Geordi looked back at him just in time to see Data’s aura glow brighter. “You look... very nice.”

Geordi’s smile began to chase away the butterflies that had been plaguing his stomach. 

“These are for you,” Data continued. In a move that looked almost rehearsed, Data revealed a small bouquet of flowers that he had been holding behind his back. “I believe it is a traditional Earth custom to present flowers on a first date, is it not?”

“Oh geez, Data, I didn’t get anything for you!”

“That is alright. It was what one might call a ‘spur of the moment’ decision.”

He laughed, then held out his hand. “Well, thank you, Data. They’re beautiful.” Geordi could have sworn a small smile crossed Data’s face.

A few minutes later, the flowers were in a vase with water, and the two were on their way to the holodeck. As the door opened, a burst of cold air hit Geordi’s face, and he gasped. The holodeck had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Snow-covered trees glowed with strings of lights, and a lighted path wove its way through the trees in the gently falling snow. 

“It’s beautiful.” The words came as almost a whisper, as if the pristine snow would be blown away by anything louder. 

Data held out his hand, an unspoken question in the air. In answer, Geordi smiled and placed his hand in Data’s. Data’s hand was pleasantly warm in the cool air, and they started down the path together. The thin layer of snow crunched under their feet as they walked through the trees and watched the snow fall. After a minute or two, a clearing opened up. In its center, a wide oval of ice was surrounded by a wooden railing. A white bench sat by a gap in the railing, and two sets of ice skates leaned against it.

A grin grew on Geordi’s face. “It’s been ages since I’ve gone ice skating. I didn’t know you could skate!” he said, turning to Data. 

“I have never attempted the activity, however I am certain that my balancing mechanisms will be able to compensate.”

“If you say so!” 

Soon, the perfectly-fitting skates had been donned. As Geordi stepped onto the ice, he skated a few tentative feet forward, before confidently skating a lap around the rink. As he approached where Data stood, waiting to enter the rink, Geordi spun to a stop. 

“Coming?” he asked, holding out his hands.

“I was simply watching. You are quite graceful.”

Geordi felt his face grow warm in the cool air, and he smiled. “Thanks, Data.”

“You are welcome.” With that, Data stepped out confidently onto the ice —

— and immediately fell flat on his face.

Geordi cringed. “Are you ok?”

Data pushed himself up onto his knees and paused. “I appear not to be as stable on skates as expected.”

Skating closer, Geordi tried not to laugh. “I’ll say. I’ll be honest though — it was kind of funny.”

“I am sure it did not appear very graceful.”

Geordi laughed a bit as he extended a hand for Data. “I dunno about that. It was pretty elegant how far your feet flew out from under you.”

Comprehension dawned on Data’s face as he accepted Geordi’s assistance and got to his feet. “Ah. This falls under ‘humor - slapstick’. I see why it could be considered quite humorous. However, it would also be quite painful for a human.”

“Well it’s a good thing you don’t bruise, then,” Geordi said, a smile still on his face. “Make sure you keep your weight directly above your feet. If you lean forward or back too much, you’ll have your butt on the ice again. Once you have your balance, you can slowly shift your weight onto one foot, and push off against the ice with the other.”

Slowly, Data did as he said, one hand clutching Geordi’s like his life depended on it, and the other flailing in the air beside him. As he pushed off of the ice, he nearly fell again, this time only saved by Geordi’s grip and his own baby steps in the skates. 

Suddenly Geordi’s face lit up. “I have an idea.” Geordi spun to stand right in front of Data, facing him. He held out his other hand, and Data’s flailing one eventually found it.

“But Geordi,” Data started, “how will _you_ skate?”

“Like this.” A mischievous smile jumped onto his face as he began to skate backwards, pulling Data along behind him.

Data’s eyes widened as he slowly moved across the ice. After a second though, his awe turned to worry. “Geordi, there is something—” He looked down to see his legs slowly but surely getting further and further apart. “Geordi?”

Geordi glanced down, saw Data’s dilemma, and laughed. “You gotta make sure your feet are pointed straight forward.”

Data’s slow descent toward doom stopped as he followed his instruction. After a moment, he spoke. “Geordi, I seem to be unable to regain my previous stance.”

A smile still lingering on his face, Geordi guided Data to the fence so he could right himself. 

“Ready?” Geordi extended his arms again, and Data took them, one hand at a time. Slowly, they made their way around the ice rink without any further mishaps. As they started on their second lap, Data began to grip Geordi’s hands more gently, and even tried propelling himself once or twice. Instead of Geordi giving pointers, they began to talk about other things, like Spot, stories from the Academy, and planets they’d never visited.

“Want to try on your own?” Geordi offered after a few more laps. 

“I believe I have increased in ability enough to successfully skate independently.” He paused. “However, a stabilizing hand may be wise.”

“I would agree,” Geordi said with a smile. Carefully, he let go of Data’s other hand and spun to stand beside him. “Ready?” 

Geordi skated forward slowly, and Data after a moment’s hesitation joined him, balancing gingerly on one foot while pushing with the other. They were half way around the rink like this, hand-in-hand, before Data let out a small “Oh no” and his feet slid dramatically forward. And, because he was still holding determinedly onto Geordi’s hand, he took Geordi down with him, where Geordi landed firmly on his rear end and flopped onto his back.

As the chill of the ice seeped through his clothes, Geordi looked over at Data, sprawled on the ice beside him. He looked ridiculous, like a baby animal who had tried to walk for the first time and failed utterly. For that matter, they probably both looked ridiculous laying there. Geordi began to laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” Data had begun to sit up, but stopped and looked at Geordi. 

His laughter faded as he sat up as well, but the smile was as bright as ever. “Because,” he said, moving to sit next to Data. “Because this was so much fun. Because it is beautiful out here.” He paused. “Because you’re beautiful.” He looked at Data, who was so perfect and so flawed and so familiar. His glow, his face, his existence he knew so well, and yet Data was still new every day. “Thank you,” Geordi said softly. “This was wonderful.” 

And there, on the ice of the holodeck, Geordi leaned half way between them, and Data leaned too, and their lips met in the stillness and quiet of the falling snow. And it was magical.

**Author's Note:**

> Update: translaforge on tumblr drew a thing to go with this!! [See it here!](https://translaforge.tumblr.com/post/183221607353/just-a-funny-little-brain-i-couldnt-get-this)


End file.
